Latest Posts
Death of the Phone Book
When is the last time you opened the Yellow Pages to find a business listing or location?
How many times have phone books been delivered to your home, and those phone books just stayed there, soaking up rain and weather, until finally someone tossed them in the garbage can?
Are we witnessing the death of the phone book?
Outdated, Clunky and Cumbersome
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last five years, it’s common knowledge that people are turning to the Internet for fast and efficient information.
Search engines such as Google and Yahoo now provide faster, more relevant company information, and do so more efficiently – even better, there is very little waste associated with “online” information.
At Freebairn and Company, we believe companies should begin to re-think how much advertising budget they associate with traditional Yellow Pages, and consider moving these dollars to Local Search Engine Advertising programs.
Why local search?
Local search makes sense for a variety of reasons:
- Users are clicking online to find company information
- With the dynamic nature of the web, information online can be more current
- Users can find additional information about a company such as customer reviews, BBB ratings, driving directions and more…
- It allows users more efficient ways to compare similar companies
- Enhanced flexibility with regards to advertising information
Companies choose to advertise to be seen.
Doesn’t it make sense to go where the eyeballs go?
A Google Wave at Freebairn
What exactly is this Google Wave thing, anyway?
Is it a social networking tool?
A web-based meeting tool?
Actually, it’s a little of both.
Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration
At least, that’s what Google is calling it; but here at Freebairn and Company, we have just begun to crack open this online application to learn all the power the lies within.
A “wave” is proprietary nomenclature for a cross between a conversation and document. A document can be any type of rich media such as a photo, video, or even a digital map. Participants in a wave communicate in real-time, much like you’d expect from GoToMeeting or any of the other online meeting and desktop sharing tools.
As web geek for the agency, my initial experimentation with Google Wave has me quite impressed. Using gadgets, users have the ability to drag-n-drop photos from their computers directly into a “wave” and discuss them as group. Same with a spreadsheet, document, presentation and more.
Think of this initial preview release as group chat tool on steroids.
Want to play with Google Wave yourself?
Well, ok – Google has provided us with some invites to share. The first two individuals to comment to this post, asking an interesting question about the new service, will be offered the invites.
Over the next few months, we’ll continue to report on this important addition to the world of online communication, but don’t hesitate to ping us with any questions as we’ll be knee-deep in Google Wave for the foreseeable future.
Twitter adds ‘lists’
Would you like to better organize the Twitter accounts you follow?
Twitter “Lists” is a new Twitter.com feature that allows account holders to organize the Tweets they follow into categorical lists. The feature also offers the ability for Twitter followers to easily follow a ‘List’.
There are several ways to organize the accounts you follow into lists, but we’ll concentrate on most intuitive:
- Log in to Twitter.com
- Under the ‘search box’ you will find a ‘Lists’ category
- Choose ‘add new’
- Create a relevant list name that describes the group of Twitter accounts you will add to this group
- Voila, you have created a Twitter List
Next, to add individual accounts to your new list:
- Click the ‘following’ link to see a list of the accounts you follow
- Select the lists icon in the, top right of an individual account and tick the box next to the relevant list name
- You have just added that account to a Twitter ‘List’
For those following you, they can now follow you specifically, or they can follow one of your lists.
Cool, huh?
Now, get Twittering…
Pangborn Scores!
Pangborn designs, manufactures, markets and services innovative shot blast machines and dust collectors. Its products are used in primary metal and metalworking, with applications for the aircraft and aerospace, automotive, building and infrastructure, national defense, petroleum, turbines and wind power industries.
Since 1904, Pangborn has been a leader in surface preparation technology by helping its customers achieve higher productivity and lower maintenance of their blast equipment.
Recently, the company made international news by expanding its worldwide presence and service capabilities with the formation of a new team known as the Pangborn Group.
To announce this landmark achievement, Freebairn & Company created The Power of Teamwork advertisement. The full-page, four-color ad was produced in English, German, Spanish and Chinese for print publications around the world.
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The dynamic photograph of a soccer ball bearing the companies’ logos flying into the net of a goal was chosen as a symbol representing Pangborn¹s continuing success.
“And the ad succeeded on a global scale,” says Pangborn V.P. of Marketing, Donna Gordon. “I’ve been associated with a number of international companies, but this was the first time we’ve had complete and enthusiastic agreement from everyone involved on the message, the visual, the works!”
YKK AP Wins Design Award
YKK AP® Wins International Design Excellence Award With Aid Of Agency Video
YKK AP’s ThermaShade sunshade has won the IDEA Silver award in the Commercial & Industrial Products category in the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards.
One of the key contributors to YKK AP’s winning entry was a video produced by Freebairn’s interactive designer, Kit Becker, agency creative director, Mack Kirkpatrick, and Richard Braunstein, product development manager for YKK AP.
“Building components are not the type of products that typically win design competitions,” says Richard Braunstein. “ThermaShade’s strength is the way it adds to the energy efficiency of a building and at the same time offers an architectural element for building design. I think the video we created did an outstanding job of showcasing ThermaShade’s benefits as one of YKK AP’s sustainable building solutions which support a strategic energy policy for the United States.”
The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) program is an international competition honoring excellence in industrial design. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide.
Digital Dawgs
The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business proudly kicked off the 2009 Peachtree Road Race with this outdoor message of encouragement to participating Georgia Bulldog students, alumni and friends. The digital billboard, designed by Freebairn art director Don Patton, is located in the heart of the race on Peachtree Street. It shows legendary school mascot “UGA” with rotating headlines which read, “Go Dawgs Go” and “Run Dawgs Run.”
Soon after the conclusion of the race, a new design will appear for the University’s Executive MBA program in Buckhead.
Chris Neilands, Marketing Director for Terry’s Executive and Evening MBA programs says, “This is a terrific opportunity for The Terry College to make a strong impact before a very large audience of prospective MBA candidates. And cheering on the Dawgs is always fun.”
Capturing Baddour.
Freebairn and Company recently completed a week-long photo shoot at The Baddour Center community for adults with intellectual disabilities in Senatobia, Mississippi.
Art director Jay Hatfield and account manager Jean Cobb joined Atlanta-based photographer Ralph Daniel to produce stunning visual materials for The Center’s multi-media branding campaign. Parke Pepper, Executive Director of Baddour, helped make the shoot a great success by granting and coordinating an all-access approach to residents, staff and facilities throughout the 120-acre campus.
Months ago, during Freebairn’s research phase for marketing The Center, a family member of one of the residents gave us an excellent insight when she said, “It’s a magic place. Capture Baddour, don’t create it.”
Good advice, and we’re taking it!
At the Corner of Miracle and Enrichment
Freebairn recently made the trip to Senatobia, Mississippi to present the 2009-2010 communications campaign for The Baddour Center, a community for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Jean Cobb led off by reviewing the agency’s analysis of information gained through interviews conducted with the Baddour staff, residents and their families, members of the board of directors, and vocational center customers.
Sandy Chapman covered media recommendations, Mack Kirkpatrick and Jay Hatfield presented a number of creative options for tag lines, logos, brochures, newspaper and magazine ads, web banners and radio.
Christian Griffith demonstrated new Internet looks and content for Baddour and discussed ways to achieve more effective search engine optimization of their web site. John Freebairn presented public relations opportunities for reaching prospective residents, donors and additional customers for Baddour’s packaging and fulfillment services.
The new work was enthusiastically received, and production is underway.
Christian Griffith (shown above) observed that even the street signage says that something very special is going on at Baddour – standing at the corner of Miracle and enrichment.
Hot Stuff.
Each year, Agri-Marketing Magazine publishes a special edition to commemorate the National Agricultural Marketing Awards. This special edition also serves as the official program for the event. Traditionally, an advertising agency from the host city of the NAMA Show is chosen to create the cover. This year’s awards convention was held in Atlanta, and Freebairn & Company had the honor, thanks to the quality of work we produce as well as our extensive agricultural advertising and marketing experience.
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Freebairn art director, Jay Hatfield’s new cover design dramatizes the NAMA 2009 theme of “Hot Ideas, Sizzling Solutions” by punctuating it with a striking visual that underscores Atlanta’s reputation for being a city bursting with excitement. Jay scoured several antique stores until he found what he wanted, then he made his ingenious Photoshop skills pay off with a “Hotlanta” thermometer that’s sizzling off the charts in intensity.
Freebairn also seized the opportunity Agri-Marketing presented to showcase work we’ve done for our crop protection client, MANA. We placed one of the MANA ads in the NAMA special edition along with a (frankly, self-serving) snipe inviting other agricultural companies to take advantage of our expertise by joining the Freebairn client roster.
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Vintage Freebairn
When a friend of the agency saw his winemaking hobby snowball its way toward success, he turned to Freebairn art directors, Don Patton and Jay Hatfield, for label designs to showcase his distinctive products.
Their creative explorations drew accolades from our most appreciative entrepreneurial vintner.
